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Raymond Trenton
Raymond Trenton is a Canadian actor, writer, producer and director. Trenton is best known for the role of Curran Khristoverikh in Dhampir film series and for the Oak River anthology horror series which he created and co-produced. Trenton is married to Nova Scotia-born actress Leslie Hope and they reside part time in Halifax (and part time in Los Angeles) with their two children. He is not related to American born actor-director Thomas Trenton creator of the Friday the 13th series. To avoid conflict with SAG and ACTRA, Trenton goes by his first name Raymond. Early Life Raymond Thomas Trenton was born on July 15, 1970, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The sixth of nine children born to Alice Joy Trenton (née Regan), a homemaker and Peter Thomas Trenton, a construction engineer/industrialist. His siblings are Peter Thomas Trenton Jr. (b. 1962), Mary Alice and Samantha Jean (b. 1965), Charles Peter (b. 1968) Kenneth Lorne (b. 1971) Andrea Denise (b. 1973), Charlene Harris (b. 1975) and Gayle Esther (b. 1977). None of his siblings are employed in the entertainment industry. His family's ancestry includes English, Scottish, Irish, German and Dutch. Trenton was born at 1:12 pm, at Dartmouth General Hospital. Trenton and his family grew up in the suburbs of Dartmouth where he and his siblings went to the local elementary and high schools. Trenton was raised Roman Catholic, though his children were confirmed in the church, he is not outwardly practicing. In 1983, his father bought the family their first VHS home video camera. Almost at once his parents and siblings noticed Trenton's skill at making home movies. He began to write dialogue and plan out scenes, recruiting family and friends to perform for him. Career Dhampir At the age of 17, Trenton began writing spec-screenplays with the intention of going into filmmaking. A self professed fan of horror and Stephen King, Trenton wanted to revitalize the vampire myth, creating a rich environment in which to explore new concepts and plot ideas. Though the first film in the series, Trenton wrote Dhampir: Child of Nosferatu after four other stories. Originally Trenton wished to start the series with the character already established, but after speaking with his eventual partner Robert Johnson it was decided to provide an origin to connect the audience to the character. The first film was financed solely by Trenton and Johnson's efforts by soliciting outside investors. Trenton would direct and star in the leading role and Johnson would produce and handle the financial aspect of production. By 1992, they had managed to bring together $22 million dollars for the budget. With the help and advice of family friend, Charles Wall, the Canadian director, Trenton and Johnson were able to recruit several key players in Canadian entertainment to work on the film. Following the example of Alexander and Ilya Salkind famous actors were cast in key supporting roles, with lesser known actors taking the larger lead roles. Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Elwes and Maggie Smith, all signed for lesser than money than what they usually asked for, plus a percentage of the series' box office's receipts. With filming to take place in Romania and overseas, several European actors were case in key roles. Including as part of the antagonistic Khristoverikh family. Upon completion of the film, and not happy with the offers from Hollywood after the film was entered the Toronto film festval, Trenton and Johnson made the unprecedented move in offering the film for American distribution, negotiating with individual theater chains. Offering 50% of the box office gross for as long as the film was being played. This resulted in the film reaching unparalleled success by Canadian standards, making the first film the most successful Canadian film in history and allowed Trenton to finance the remainder of the series himself. After the release of the film in North America, Trenton entered into a co-distribution deal with Warner Bros. to release the film internationally (and for the remainder of the series in North America) for 35% of the box-office gross. Following the success of the first film, Trenton focused primarily on the Dhampir property, saying it was akin to a supernatural James Bond. Trenton was a stickler on continuity, casting and artistic control. He filmed several of the series installments in groups only to release them later years apart. A fan of Stephen King, Trenton conceived of a separate horror series, named Oak River after the title town, and connected it to the Dhampir series by having his character make a cameo in the first film of that series, as well as in a couple subsequent films. Most of the films were met with positive reviews. Critics especially highlighted their dark, realistic tones, and subtexts dealing with religious themes, faith and the concept of good versus evil. The three films that make up the Double Sucker trilogy were met with mixed and negative reviews from critics. Some citing the sexual nature of the story and that Trenton starred (and made an anti-hero out of his original character), forcing the audience to root for an evil character doing evil things. With nine films released, the Dhampir film series is the 13th highest-grossing film franchise of all-time, having grossed over 3.2 billion worldwide. To date the last film released was Idhra and Trenton has repeatedly stated that no further film will be made. Films ''Dhampir: Child of Nosferatu'' (1993) An origin story, the film details the early exploits of Piotr Khristoverikh, a Romanian nobleman who is exiled from his family's estate only to return ten years later. Upon his reunion with his family, he is subsequently transformed into a vampire and to curse his siblings, transforms them into vampires as well. Centuries later in the late 1800's, Patricia Newman travels abroad with her father and catches the eye of Piotr, who after failing to seduce her, rapes Patricia resulting in the conception of their son Curran, who is a Dhampir. Curran is raised by the Catholic Church as part of a secret sect, growing to manhood and finally faces his father in battle. The first film in the series quickly establishes the tone and direction for the series. The horror element is on par with the historical adventure part of the story. Trenton secured funding from numerous sources, hiring several established actors for low pay and large points from the box office returns. Filming took place in Nova Scotia, Ireland, England, Romania and the Gaspe region of Quebec. Principal photography began in September 1992 and ended in February 1993. The film was released in Canada and the United States on July 15, 1993. It was subsequently released worldwide on September 17, 1993. ''Dhampir: The Double Sucker'' (1996) ''Dhampir: The Lord of Time'' (1998) ''Dhampir: The Convent'' (1999) ''Dhampir: The Wolf Moon'' (2001) ''Dhampir: Eater of Worlds'' (2002) ''Dhampir: The Incubus'' (2005) ''Dhampir: The Tenth Circle'' (2007) ''Dhampir: Idhra'' (2009) Scream Other Work Film TV Personal Life Filmography Film Television